Texas university professors now have to get permission before covering race or gender

The Texas A&M Board of Regents on Thursday voted to require professors to seek the approval of the university president to teach courses on “race or gender ideology or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The board also said professors must “adhere to the approved syllabus for each course” and cannot stray into “unrelated topics or teaching material inconsistent with the approved syllabus,” according to an announcement from the board. The change will apply to all 12 universities within the A&M system and is meant to help “restore public trust in higher education.”

“The A&M System has a responsibility to be disciplined stewards of taxpayer resources and to ensure that courses serve students, communities, and the state effectively,” Board of Regents chairman Robert Albritton said. “Additionally, we believe these updates also reflect our commitment to academic responsibility.”

In September, a video recorded from a Texas A&M children’s literature course went viral after a student was kicked from class for objecting to a lesson on “gender and sexuality.” The professor of the course was later fired and two senior administrators were removed from their positions. The university’s president stepped down shortly after.

The Trump administration announced on Jan. 20 it was adopting the biological definition of male and female and further banned schools from “Imprinting anti-American, subversive, harmful, and false ideologies on our Nation’s children,” including teaching gender ideology. Texas also has a statewide ban on diversity, equity and inclusion policies at higher education institutions.

“Transparency and accountability are essential to our mission. We’re delivering on that commitment and reinforcing confidence in the quality of a Texas A&M education,” A&M System chancellor Glenn Hegar said in the announcement. “This effort is really about ensuring we balance academic freedom with academic responsibility.”

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